Butler's Mack leaves early; who's the Horizon Preseason Player of the Year?

My esteemed colleague David Woods at the Indy Star has the news on Butler's Shelvin Mack, who has decided to forgo his senior season and stay in the NBA Draft. Given how high his stock was after a second consecutive sensational NCAA Tournament -- and given how far it had fallen during an underwhelming regular season -- it's probably the right decision for Mack, even with the uncertainty surrounding his draft standing (some mock drafts have him going in the first round, some not at all) and the uncertainty surrounding the NBA labor situation.

That means the two clear favorites for Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year -- Mack and Brandon Wood -- no longer are in the Horizon League.

So who's the preseason player of the year? It may be a silly honor (congrats on being the best player in the league who didn't leave or graduate in the offseason!), but for the first time in a long time, it's an interesting debate. Because it's anybody's guess.

Does Detroit sophomore-to-be Ray McCallum have enough of a resume? He's the highest-ranking all-Horizon League player back and the top returning scorer, along with Chase Simon. Titans teammate Eli Holman's a defensive presence unlike any other in the league, but the Detroit offense doesn't exactly run through him (but man, it should).

Butler's Ron Nored and Andrew Smith are excellent players, but are they regarded as the best the league has to offer yet? Nored's not much of an offensive threat, and Smith is just coming into his own. Tre Harmon and Jeremy Montgomery are explosive players for Cleveland State, but POY material?

Milwaukee's Kaylon Williams had a great all-around first season, but it's doubtful a single-digit scorer will garner much consideration. Teammate Tony Meier's a solid player, too, but again, does anyone think of him as the best player in the league? Youngstown's Damian Eargle has the most fun name to say in the league, and is a heck of a two-way player, but YSU needs to be an impact team (which it should be next season) before it starts raking in top individual awards.

And Valparaiso's Ryan Broekhoff has the potential to be a true star in this league, but he hasn't had to shoulder the load on his own yet -- none of these players has. And that's exactly what makes this such an interesting discussion. It's all based on potential, really, not previous accomplishments.

Am I leaving anybody out? Make your pitch. Who's your preseason player of the year?

3 Comments

If you vote a guy who started zero games and averaged six minutes per game (and hardly played at all in the postseason) to be Preseason Player of the Year, you'll look more crazy than smart. Hopkins, like so many other unproven-but-highly-touted talents in the league, has all the potential in the world to someday be in the discussion for the end-of-season Player of the Year (a far more meaningful honor, of course). But obviously he's nowhere near this discussion.

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Mark Lazerus

Sports Editor Mark Lazerus has been honored nationally by the Associated Press
Sports Editors for three straight years, was named one of the top three
columnists in the state for three straight years and has won 17 statewide
writing awards. He covers Valparaiso University men’s basketball,
high school football and high school baseball for the Post-Tribune,
where he’s been since October 2004.